Operation Mutraqa

Operation Mutraqa (12-18 July 2006) was a six-day military operation carried out by the combined forces of the United States, the Iraqi government, and the autonomous forces of Iraqi Kurdistan against insurgents that occupied the town of Sinjar in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. The insurgents put up stiff resistance around Sinjar, and they inflicted heavy losses on the Coalition forces. On 18 July 2006, the Americans decided to withdraw from their attack, ending the offensive in failure.

Prelude
The insurgency in Iraq occurred in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan to the north in addition to the Sunni Triangle around Baghdad, with Ansar al-Islam, the Kurdistan Islamic Group, and other insurgent groups operating in the region. The city of Mosul served as a stronghold for insurgents, and the city allowed for them to launch periodic attacks against the United States occupation forces, the Iraqi government, and the autonomous government's Peshmerga militia. In response to these attacks against American forces, the US Marine Corps, Iraqi Army, and Peshmerga launched a joint offensive against insurgents in Kurdistan, with much of the operation taking place around the contested town of Sinjar. Sinjar was heavily-occupied by al-Qaeda in Iraq militants, and their leader Samir Moradi was an experienced guerrilla.

Battle
The Marines intended to head up a hill along the main road and secure that road before capturing the town of Sinjar itself. Colonel Clarence Cutler, the commanding officer of the operation, planned for the Americans to quickly seize positions along the road and then clear the town with urban warfare. However, the plan went awry as the Marines came under heavy fire from insurgents taking up position in houses along the road, and many American soldiers were killed or injured. The road became the site of an intense crossfire, and the insurgents were able to inflict heavy losses. Eventually, the road was opened by the Americans and the insurgents fought back from the village and some bunkers on the high ground, and they inflicted further losses on the Americans. The result was an insurgent victory, as the Americans withdrew due to unbearable losses. The result of the operation was continued insurgent activity near Sinjar and further US losses.